Vehicle-wheel.



9,539,437. l Pand July 27,1909

W. L. HOWARD'.

VEHICLE WHEEL. EP'YLIOATION FILED Inu. a, 190'9.

INVENTO?.

manners WILLIAM Lewis nowann or TRENTON, NEW JERSEY.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

Specieation of Letters Patent.

1969. serial No. 481,132.

Patented .nnyev, 190e.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that l, lVILLiAM L. HOWARD,- a citizen of rthe llnited States, and a resident of Trenton, in the county of Mercer and Stateof New Jersey, have invented a newand limproved l/rehicle-ll7 heel, of 'which the. following is a full, clear, and exact description.

ln my prior application, Serial Number 471,037, filed January T, i909, lf disclose certain mechanism for detachably securing` tire-carrying rims to vehicle wheels, lthe 'particular mechanism illustrated including' curved set-tions movable circnmferentially away from each other and radially to grip the rim. rlhe mechanism for spreading apart the gripping sections includes a worm wheel carried by a rotatable rod, the oppo site ends of which are. provided with threads of opposite pitch.

In my present invention, l utilize substantially lthe saine general 'features but provide an improved mechanism for spreading apartthe gripping sections and for locking them in position.

Reference is to he had to the accompanying' drawings. forming' a part. of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate correspomling parts in all tln` Heures. and in which- Figure l is a side elevation of a wheel constructed in accorlflamre with my invention, a portion thereof being shown in section; Fig. 2 is an edge view of a portion of the wheel. the rim and `grippingr sections thereof being removed; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3*;3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a. detail showing' .the worm locking mecha nisin.

ln the specific form of Awheel illustrated, .l ein] loy a folly l() of wood or other suitable materal, and secured to the periphery of the folly is band 1l having` outwardly-entending annular side flanges and a plurality of outwardly-entending lugs or projections l2, intermediate said anges and each having cam surfaces. .Between the opposite sides of the channels are two gripping members 13, 13, moving circnmferentially and having` inwardly-extending projections lll, which en.- gagc with the projections l2 to move the gripping men'ibers radially at the saine time they are moved circuniferentially. rllhe outer surfaces o'l the ,gripping 'members engage cts and extending` through the two threaded a-ipertnrcs is a threaded rod 16. The opposite ends of the rod are reversely threaded,

soI that by rotating the rod, the two blocks and their gripping members may` be drawnV toward or forced away from each. other.v The folly l0 is cnt away to receive the two blocks l5 and a casing 17 fills the aperture within the felly. The blocks are disposed within the casing, as is also the entire operating; mechanism therefor. Intermediate of the ends of the rod 1 (3 is a worm wheel 18, held against longitudinal movement by a transversely-extending block 19 secured in place within the channel-shaped band 1l and engaging with opposite'sidesof the worm wheel. rlhe casing li' is provided with oppositely-disposed side walls 2O and between these side walls and parallel thereto are parallel partition walls 2l. Between the two partition walls 2], is a worm 22- intermeshing with the worm wheel 18 and secured' to a pivot or shaft. 2?. ylfhe worin wheel is nonrotatable in respect to the shaft and the shaft is journaled in the partitions 2l, so as lto hold the worm in place yet permit of its rotation hy the rotation of the shaft. The shaft 21 is held against longitudinal movement in one direct-ion by the engagement of a shoulder Q4 with one of thepartitions 21, and'is held against longitudinal movement in the opposite direction by a screw 25 eX- tending through one of the outer walls 2O of the casing and .into the end of the shaft. The opposite end of the shaft extends through the other Awall Z0 and its outer end 2G is nonfcircular in cross section, as is illustrated particularly in Fig. 4L. The shaft end 26 adjacent the outer surface of the adjacent wall E20, carries a collar 27' provided with a series of notches 2S in the periphery thereof.

lVithin the casing and intermediate of the casing wall 20 and the partition wall 21, is a pivoted dog 29 having the end thereof extending); `ont through an aperture in the Wall Q() aiutinto one of the. notches Q8 in the col lar wardly by a spring` 3G, but may be forced in- The dog is normally pressed outleo `it to the limiting position.

the collar 27, and this lug is of such .size

that when the dog is pressed inwardly to bring the outer end of the lug into the plane of the outer surface of the collar 27, said dog willibe out of operative engagement with the ii'otches of the collar and the shaft may be freely rotated.

For rotating the. shaft I employ a tool 3:2

'haviiiga recess in the face thereof to receive the lion-circular end 26 of the shaft and having a flange 33 for engagement with 'thelug llto force the latter inwardly to the plane of the outer surface of the flange or collar 2T. When it is desired to remove a *rini from the wheel, it is merely necessary to place the to'ol over the end 2G and force This will automatically unlock the flange 27 and permit the shat't to be rotated. The tool may now be t-iiriied to operate the worm and worm wheel to draw the gripping sections 13, 13 toward each other, and therim -inay now be reiiioved, as set forth moi'e fully in my prior application above referred to. The instant the tool isui'emoved the spring 3() will force the dog 29 out into operative-engagen'ient with the llange 27, so that a rotation of only a fraction of a revolution will permit the dog to enter some one of the notches and lock the woini and worm wheel against further movement. This locking mechanism positively prevents the worin or worm wheel from being rotated or the gripping sections from being loosened due to the jarring or shaking ofthe wheel While in service.

Having thus described my invention, I

I claim as new and desire to secui'e by Letters Patent:

1. A vehicle wheel having a detachable friin, a gripping section for engagement l therewith, mechanism for moving said grip- ,ping member and including al rotatable mem- L ber,`a notched flange carried by the latter,

'and a spring-pressed dog in engagement with said notched flange and automatically inovable'to inoperative position upon the application of a tool to said rotatable meintool to the outer end of the shaft to rotatel the latter.

A vehicle wheel having a telly provided with a'n aperture therein, a casing within said aperture, a removable rim, a movable gripping member intermediate of said telly and said i'iin and termina-ting adjacent said casi-iig, a rotatable member having engagement with said member for moving it longitudinally, a worin within said casing and rotating said member, a shaft extending into said casing and supporting said worm, partition walls within said casing and holding'` said worm against longitudinal movenient,.a notched flange carried byv said shaft, and a spring-pressed dog within said casing, intermediate of one of said partition walls andthe side wall of the.

casing, and extending into operative engagenieiit with said notched flange and having a lug extending beyond said notched flange,

Nwherehy said dog may be automatically moved ont of engagement with said notched flange upon the application of a tool to `the outer end of said shaft.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM LEWIS HOWARD.

Witnesses y THOMAS DALZELL, WILLIAM H. RODDY. 

